November 30, 2010

The Morning Wrap

WikiLeaks Facing Espionage Charges? Federal authorities are investigating whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange violated criminal laws when he and his Web site released a cache of government documents, The Washington Post reports. Among the charges being considered are possible violations of the Espionage Act. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said the Justice Department and Pentagon are conducting "an active, ongoing criminal investigation.''

U.S. Balks at North Korea Talks: The United States, South Korea and Japan are all balking at China’s request for emergency talks with North Korea over the crisis on the Korean Peninsula, The New York Times reports. According to the Times, Obama administration officials said that a return to the table with North Korea, as China sought this weekend, would be rewarding the North for provocative behavior over the past week.

Study: Most Troops Don't Care Whether They Serve With Gays:The Associated Press reports that officials familiar with the Pentagon's 10-month study of the federal Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy say that a clear majority of respondents don't care if gays serve openly, with 70 percent predicting that lifting the ban would have positive, mixed or no results. Those result are expected to reignite the debate over DADT.

School Gunman Shoots Self: A 15-year-old gunman eventually shot himself as police stormed the Wisconsin classroom where he had held 23 classmates hostage for nearly seven hours. None of the hostages were harmed. Authorities also said they did not know what might have motivated the boy who made no demands or requests during the standoff, The AP reports.